Opera creates welcoming spaces for children with autism

Annabel Ross and Danielle Kutchel

Darkness, booming sounds and action that often seems all-too-frighteningly real: seeing a play or watching a movie can be a deeply unsettling experience for children with autism.

Yet Melbourne children with the condition, and others who are often sensitive to loud noises and darkness, are now able to enjoy much more relaxing forms of entertainment, with the lights on and the action slowed, with two programs tailored to their needs.

''And what's the name of that Andrea Bocelli song you like?'' ''Time to Say Goodbye,'' he says. ''Who does he sing that with?'' ''Sarah Brightman.''

Seven-year-old Ben is on the autism spectrum, and music has been a huge part of his development, Ms Hogan says. ''He learned to speak through music, Ben didn't have any functional language until he was five.''

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Taking Ben to concerts though, presents myriad problems - children on the autism spectrum tend to be sensitive to loud noises and darkness, and getting them to sit still for the duration is a challenge.

So the idea of a ''relaxed performance'' - like the upcoming Victorian Opera production of Hansel and Gretel for children with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder or sensory and communication disorders - is one that both Ben and his mum are very excited about.

The house lights will be kept low rather than completely dimmed, the sound levels will be turned down and children will be able to move around the theatre during the performance, capped at a comfortable two-thirds full. There'll also be a chill-out space outside the auditorium if it all becomes a bit overwhelming.

Children with these kinds of disabilities often can't distinguish between what's real and what's not, so each performer will introduce themselves at the beginning before getting into character, and none will wear makeup. A narrator will also help explain the story, which is sung in German, with surtitles.

The production is the first in a disability access pilot program devised by the Arts Centre in partnership with Arts Access Victoria, made possible by donations totalling $80,000 from the Lorenzo and Pamela Galli Charitable Trust and the Cassandra Gantner Foundation.

The relaxed performance is also a first for the Victorian Opera artists. ''They're often on a stage where they can't see the audience because the lights are dimmed, so this might be a little intimidating for them, because number one they'll be very close to the audience, and number two, we don't know what they'll be doing,'' says Victorian Opera education manager Melissa Stark.

A similar program has been developed by Village Cinemas in partnership with Amaze, the peak body for autism spectrum disorder in Victoria.

For six-year-old Wolfgang Maltby and his four-year-old brother Xander, both on the autism spectrum, the screenings have turned what may have have been an ordeal into a real treat, and a godsend for their mother Karen Kenny.

Ms Kenny, smiles as she checks her diary. ''We're going to see that one this weekend,'' she promises as Wolfgang points to a poster of a children's movie.

Her boys are easily excitable and impulsive. Taking them out, Ms Kenny explains, can be fraught due to their hyperactivity and repetitive behaviour, which she often cannot control.

The family had tried going to the movies, with varying degrees of success. Ultimately, the crowds, lights and noise were too much for Wolfgang, who had a meltdown, and Xander, who ''had his hands over his ears the entire time''.

At sensory-friendly cinema sessions, films are screened with the house lights on and the volume reduced, and the audience is free to get up and move around.

''It's something that we can go out to, because there are so many places we can't go,'' Ms Kenny says.